SummerSlam is the second biggest WWE event of the year. The party of the summer was one to look forward to, and of course, in its twenty-eight year history, there are plenty of moments to go with it.
From shocking heel turns to Championships changing hands, these moments are some that we won’t forget. Even when SummerSlam was in its slump, fans are reminded that all is not lost. This year’s SummerSlam is anticipated to be one of the best ones in years. The card is stacked that can rival WrestleMania. With the new era on the cusp of soaring, SummerSlam is hyped to deliver and be the one for the history books.
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We will see a brand new Champion crowned in the much-anticipated battle between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Randy Orton will take on Brock Lesnar in their first high-profile match ever. John Cena will face AJ Styles one last time to prove who really the better of the two is. Roman Reigns will cross new territory in seeking to capture the United States Championship from Rusev.
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Sasha Banks will take on Charlotte in what’s sure to be a classic Women’s Match. There is so much potential for some shake-ups Sunday night, and it would be no surprise should WWE throw a curveball somewhere during SummerSlam.
So on the weekend of the summer spectacle, we will take a look at five of many shocking moments in its history.
#5 Edge is Sable’s mystery partner
In 1998, Sable was white hot in WWE crossing over from manager to a bombshell force in the Women’s Division. Since WrestleMania earlier in the year, Sable was continuously antagonized by husband Marc Mero as their relationship crumbled. Mero’s jealously of Sable’s spotlight led to the debut of Jacqueline, who had become his new girlfriend.
The two would continue to taunt Sable and challenged her to a match at SummerSlam. Sable needed a partner, and it was none other than the enigmatic Edge, who was starting to shine in WWE at the time. It was his first PPV match, and his performance would lead to much more after. The two would work together to defeat Mero and Jacqueline, and it was the start of Edge’s high profile matches.
#4 Brock Lesnar destroys John Cena
At SummerSlam 2014, John Cena would ultimately go down in what was one of the most shocking matches in SummerSlam history. One can argue that Brock Lesnar had an advantage over Cena in terms of brute strength. But what made this so shocking during their WWE Championship match was that Lesnar not only defeated Cena, but Cena was destroyed in the process.
Fans were shocked that Cena was no match for the Beast Incarnate, and he was never dominated in a match like that before. This was the start of Lesnar’s unbeatable dominance and has yet to fall. Cena served as the start of that.
#3 The birth of the Authority
2013 was supposed to be the year of Daniel Bryan. Bryan was red hot and earned a WWE Championship match against John Cena at SummerSlam that year. Everything was right and seemed to be falling into place for Bryan. He would go on to win the match and a full celebration was in effect. However, Triple H had other plans.
He had been the special guest referee and attacked Bryan as he celebrated his Championship victory. That allowed Randy Orton to come out and cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase successfully, turning heel. The Authority was born that night and would torment Bryan in his quest to gain the WWE Championship, which he successfully recaptured at WrestleMania XXX.
#4 Owen Hart’s failed piledriver on Steve Austin
In the midst of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s feud with the new Hart Foundation, he took on Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam in 1997. During the course of the match, Hart would execute a piledriver on Austin, which he botched up and Austin landed on his head, severely injured his neck in the process.
Austin suffered a broken neck and was temporarily paralyzed as a result of the botch. Austin would pin Hart with a roll-up, securing the victory. However, because of his injury, Austin had to vacate the Championship in addition to the Tag Team Championship. This was the start of seeing Austin really transform to main event stardom, but the moment would prove to cut his stellar career short with Austin eventually retiring from wrestling in 2003.
#5 Paul Bearer turns on The Undertaker
In a move that would shock millions of fans, Paul Bearer would attack The Undertaker during his match with Mankind (Mick Foley) at SummerSlam 1996. Fans remember this feud as one of the best for Taker, and this moment was one of the reasons why. It was the Boiler Room Brawl, and whoever would find his way to Bearer and grab Taker’s urn first would win the match.
Mankind already had Taker’s number, as he defeated him prior at the King of the Ring. At the end of the brawl, Taker would reach Bearer first, but he had other plans as he shocked the world by refusing to give Taker the urn. Mankind was able to get the Mandible Claw on him, and to add insult to injury Bearer would attack Taker with the urn, betraying the Phenom. This would be the catalyst to Bearer antagonizing Taker for a number of years, bringing in Kane in 1997 to further stick it to Taker after his program with Mankind was over.
